The invention relates to automated teller machines for use in performing financial transactions.
In general, a customer uses an automated teller machine ("ATM") to access the customer's bank account. For example, the customer may use the ATM to make deposits or withdrawals from a checking or savings account, or to determine the balance of such an account.
Traditional ATMs identify a customer based on an identification card provided by the customer's bank and a personal identification number ("PIN") that is recorded in a database and, presumably, known only to the customer. When using a traditional ATM, the customer inserts the identification card into a slot of the ATM. The card includes a magnetic strip on which is encoded information about the customer's bank accounts (e.g., the account number of the customer's checking account). The ATM responds to insertion of the card by prompting the customer to enter the customer's PIN. The ATM then compares the PIN entered by the customer to the PIN stored in the database. If the two PINs match, the ATM determines that the customer is authorized to access the account associated with the inserted card.